A 500ml bottle with a BB of April 2014. Picked up recently from a B&M store. A classic ale from Burton-on-Trent.

Poured into a straight pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A hazy golden-amber colour with good carbonation and visible sediment. Forms a large head of creamy white foam that lasts for a few minutes before dissipating. Aroma of light malt with hints of earthy, fruity yeast esters, mild caramel, grass and stewed hops. A faint whiff of apples in the background.

Tastes of grainy malt with a dry finish. Notes of earthy yeast, a subtle fruitiness, faint caramel, grass/hay and stewed hops. Not much in the way of hop aroma. Pretty dry, with a mild, musty bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with pleasant carbonation and good body. Slightly astringent, with an aftertaste of earthy yeast and a hint of stewed hops.

Exceptionally average - a well-balanced pale ale but it lacks character. The yeast gives it some depth, but the malt and stewed hop flavour combo is bland. Where are the aromatic hops to give it an edge? I suppose this is traditional in the sense of being unchallenging. Oh well; drinkable enough but instantly forgettable. No need to seek it out. (1,197 characters)

500 ml bottle served in a lager glass. Best by date is stamped on the back label - consumed about 1 week past this.

Pours with a tall, durable bone-colored head over a highly carbonated amber body.

The aroma is poor and suggests a bad bottle. No other signs of this excepting a less objectionable carryover of the off-notes to the flavor. The flavor is, nonetheless, OK. It's mild, as expected, with light biscuity malts, subtle fruity notes, and a touch of spicy hops.

O: even projecting a prime version, there's no compelling reason to seek this out. (558 characters)

Appearance: Hazy deep gold / amber body beneath a very full, big-bubbled head of frothy "antique" white. Average-sized bubbles can be seen racing towards the surface. The head retention is quite good but the lacing leaves a bit to be desired.

Taste: Malty, grassy, and fruity. There's more fruit to it than the apple but I can't place it. It's almost a tropical fruit flavor... melon/pineapple perhaps. It's not particularly bitter, and the malt seems to be stretching to get away, although the malt will broaden as it ages and oxidizes so I assume that it would be a little bit more in focus if I had a fresh sample. Some mineral character and a drop of honey appear in the finish along with more grassy hops. It lingers nicely, giving you more time to enjoy it.

500 ml bottle poured into a nonic.4.2% ABV, Best Before End: 15 MAR 14 on back label.

A - Highly carbonated, a moderate pour produced a huge frothy off-white head which could be visibly watched decending. Thin, delicate lace webs are left above the clear pale goldenrod beer.

S - Worthington's Red Shield has a very dusty, dry, earthy nose which gives off an old wood paneling-like scent followed by some English hops. A touch of light bitterness and squeeze of tiny citrus crosses the simple pale malt base as a bit of mineral hardness closes the aroma out.

M - Hard mineral water and high carbonation bite the tongue but the beer remains smooth, softly drying out with a moderate lingering bitterness that begs for another sip.

O - Worthington's Red Shield pale ale states, "closer to cask" on the neck label, as well as an endorsement by CAMRA. I certainly wouldn't call myself an expert, but I'm pretty sure that cask ale is much, much less carbonated than this for starters. Don't get me wrong though, this beer is quite drinkable and smoothly tasty with just a bit of bite for a very sessionable pint I could continue drinking. I just don't find it remarkable. (1,360 characters)

Poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass. Pours a light to medium golden amber with a half finger white head with good retention and light lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, earthy with a hint of citrus. Flavor is very attenuated biscuit malt with light grassy hops and light wheat. Flavors are nice, but quite bland. Light bodied, but pleasant carbonation. A bit of a disappointment after the White Shield, which was flavorful. (430 characters)

Worthington’s Red Shield has a very thick, foamy, creamy, off-white head, a hazy, golden appearance, some bubble streams, and heavy lacing rings left on the side of the glass. The aroma is pungent, sweet, full, and bready, and the taste is of those elements, with a mellow bitterness and a light toffee note. Mouthfeel is medium and soft, and Worthington’s Red Shield finishes semi-dry, easy drinking, and delicious. Overall, this is wonderful, and I recommend it!

A: The beer is clear yellow in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a quarter finger high off white head that died down, leaving a thin head covering the surface. S: Light aromas of pale malts are present in the nose along with notes if fruity yeast. T: The taste is similar to the smell, except that the fruity yeast is a little stronger and there is a slight amount of bitterness.M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation. O: You can definitely taste the Burton-upon-Trent water profile in this beer; it definitely tastes like a Bass Pale Ale. (618 characters)

The front label of this beer describes it as their blond but the back describes that this s their English Pale Ale. This beer pours a very light bodied dull, slightly tarnished gold in color with a one finger, bright white head. The nose features good balance. There is just a touch of hop character with plenty of malt to round it out. The flavors are pretty mild. There is almost a presence of minerality. The malt, despite the style and country of origin, slightly reminds me of Munich. Of course hop character is minimal. It drinks very light in body with more aggressive carbonation than I expected. Overall this is a pretty standard beer for the style. If English pales are your thing this beer will be up your alley. (723 characters)

A: The beer is a light gold color, with a large off-white head that fades quickly and leaves a spotty lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is faint but contains light caramelized malts, honey, citrus and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, citrus and honey. Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty but not too heavy malt character. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings a good balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.